Upcoming events, the counties want money and more

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If you're looking for a way to get involved on the cannabis front, here are three things you should check out.

First off, Studio A64 (332 E. Colorado Ave.) is hosting "The End of Prohibition Halloween Canna-Ball" at 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 31. As the event flier reads, "After 76 years of Cannabis Prohibition, it's time to party like it's 1933." Before you purchase overalls and cover yourself in dust, be mindful the host suggests dressing like "flappers, dames, gents and gangsters" — you know, that version of 1933.

On a more serious note, you can join the local chapter of Moms for Marijuana as they rally at 4 p.m. on Nov. 12, outside the El Paso County Courthouse (270 S. Tejon St.). In coordination with other orgs, the group wants to update the criteria used in child-endangerment laws across the nation, including in Colorado, where children can be removed from a home where marijuana use occurs.

Thirdly, Every Vote Counts will be hosting a community discussion on regulating marijuana like alcohol beginning at 7 p.m., Nov. 14, at The Warehouse Restaurant (25 W. Cimarron St.). Artwork by Phil Lear will be available for auction to raise funds for the cause.

Take and take

Though there ain't no such thing as a free lunch, counties that have opted out of the sale of recreational marijuana are now asking for a slice of the tax revenue come January, according to the Grand Junction Sentinel.

Colorado Counties Inc., a lobbying group, wants state lawmakers who originally wrote House Bill 1318 — which lays out spending guidelines for the 15 percent excise tax and 10 percent sales tax revenues asked for in Proposition AA — to consider allowing the distribution of funds back to counties that opted out of sales, like El Paso. As things stand now, only government bodies that allow recreational marijuana can receive an amount back (proportional to its sales).

The organization contends that every county will be affected by the sale of marijuana, and therefore every county should be entitled to the spoils.

World comes calling

Last weekend, more than 1,000 people attended the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in downtown Denver. Dignitaries from three countries — Canada, Mexico and Uruguay — visited to learn about regulation, surveillance, security and strains.

In the face of all that, as Raw Story reports, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis took to the main stage to announce that marijuana legalization is no longer a major party divider.

"When I first got [to Congress] ... there were a number of us who talked about it and of course a brave few Republicans — Ron Paul and others — who talked about it," he said. "Fast-forward to where we are today five years later, it has become a mainstream position in my party, the Democratic Party."